"Those are our people," The Walking Dead star says. "I love meeting fans of our show. When I call it 'our' show, I mean the fans included. In the beginning, I thought, 'We are the underdogs and we have crowds of fans with us.' "

On Friday, he saw thousands of screaming fans from the stage at the San Diego Convention Center's Hall H, the largest venue at the annual pop culture gathering. On Saturday, he will make an appearance at a cosplay contest, featuring fans dressing up as favorite fictional characters, which is sponsored by Courtyard Hotels at nearby Petco Park.

Reedus, who plays fan favorite Daryl Dixon, is excited about the fifth season of the top-rated AMC drama, which begins Oct. 12 (9 p.m. ET/PT).

"There's a very good chance we'll get out of that train car" where Daryl and his friends were trapped at the end of last season, Reedus says, with a Season 5 trailer played at the Hall H panel providing confirmation. "It's such an adrenaline rush when the audience gets to see that."

According to the trailer, a trip toward Washington appears to be coming up and the missing Beth (Emily Kinney) is alive.

"This season is so well thought out," he says. "The opening episode is such an epic episode. We come back so large in the first episode. There are such heart-wrenching plot points. Buy a bunch of Kleenex."

Dead started with a big advantage, an established fan base who enjoyed the popular comic on which the series is based.

"It's such a rich world to pull from," Reedus says, praising Robert Kirkman, an executive producer who created the comic. "He created a detailed, thought-provoking world with the comics."

Since the Daryl character wasn't in the comic books before the show, "It was a little daunting," he says. "But it was well-received by loyal fans."

Fans at the Petco cosplay event will get some tips Saturday during a makeup demonstration at Courtyard's "Super Hero HQ" put on by Dead executive producer Greg Nicotero, the wizard who transforms real human beings into the show's ghoulish walkers. George R.R. Martin, whose books were developed into another immensely popular TV series, Game of Thrones, will meet the contest's king and queen on Sunday.

"They can come and watch him do his magic," says Reedus, who marvels at Nicotero's handiwork on set. "We couldn't do this show without Greg. Greg is one of the most influential keys to the success of the show."

Reedus says Nicotero's attention to detail is breathtaking. In an earlier-season encounter with a walker, as the animated dead are called, Nicotero "had gas blowing in my face from inside the belly of the zombie," Reedus says. A water-bloated walker that was trapped in the well at Hershel's farm was another of his favorite effects.

"That was pretty amazing, but it's about to be outdone," he says. "There's some crazy stuff happening this year."

Reedus says he often runs into people who do cosplay, in which they dress up and act as favorite characters. It even happens on set. During a break in one scene, he noticed one made-up walker who seemed to be copying his movements.

"He was touching his chin, looking up at the sky. I thought, 'Is he mimicking me over there?' " Reedus says. "He told me, 'I cosplay as Daryl quite a bit. I wanted to get your movements down.' "

Other cosplay practitioners actually dress up as Reedus himself.

"It's kind of crazy. My hat, sunglasses, my jeans. It gets to the point where I look and think, 'I should really update my wardrobe,' " he says.

Reedus has some advice for those who want to gain his support at the cosplay event. "If every single person dressed as Daryl Dixon, they're all winning first prize," he jokes.